ENEOS OIL RETURNS TO 100TH PIKES PEAK RACE WITH TESLA MODEL 3
Evasive Motorsports Tesla will again be driven by Dai Yoshihara.
ENEOS and Dai Yoshihara extend six-year partnership
The 100th running of the 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 26 will mark the fourth year ENEOS has supported the race efforts of Evasive Motorsports and driver Daijiro Yoshihara.
ENEOS is Japan’s largest oil company and supplier of motor oil and transmission fluids to the majority of Asian vehicle manufacturers. Through its relationship with the car makers, it introduced an EV Fluid Series last year, which is designed to optimize the efficiency and performance of electric vehicles. And while it might appear unusual for an oil company established in 1888 to compete in the “Race to the Clouds” with a Tesla, it reflects the transition the company is making as transportation evolves.
TESLA MODEL 3
In 2019 and 2020, Evasive Motorsports entered an ENEOS-supported 900-horsepower turbocharged Toyota 86 in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), which won the Unlimited Class at the second time of asking. However, the team made a radical shift in 2021, abandoning its proven race winner for a Tesla Model 3 Performance.
Mike Chang at Evasive Motorsports in Cerritos, CA could see the market changing and knew it was time to embrace the future. But for a racing team and vehicle preparation specialist like Evasive, the Tesla Model 3 presented a number of challenges. In the past, a modified Toyota 2JZ turbo engine allowed them to compensate for the reduced air pressure on the climb to the 14,115ft finish line at the Pikes Peak hill climb. Unable to modify the electric motors in the Turn 14 Distribution / Yokohama Tire / ENEOS / Evasive Motorsports Tesla Model 3 Pikes Peak race car, the team needed to make other changes to prepare for the 12.42-mile sprint, which climbs 4724 feet. With the “Race to the Clouds” incorporating 156 turns, emphasis was placed on the chassis to maintain speed through the corners.
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